The Curbed Cup, Curbed Chicago's annual Neighborhood of the Year tournament, continues today with a matchup of semifinalists, proud victors over their first round opponents. Voting for each matchup will close in the wee hours of the following day. Let the eliminations begin!
The Hyde Park-Bronzeville first round face-off was a textbook mismatch. The difference? HP had a very active year, and everyone knows about it. To recap: the year touched off with the opening of University of Chicago's Mansueto Library, with its subterranean robot-managed stacks and soaring glass canopy. Not as much the architectural feat, the Logan Arts Center is, nevertheless, another significant product of the university's development engine. Harper's Court is advancing, the Del Prado was restored, and there are encouraging signs for Village Center.
No 'hood would ask to face Hyde Park, but if there's one with the record and the bravado to contend, it's Uptown. Drawing visitors with its theaters and funky nightlife, it scored a possible life-saving redevelopment announcement from the mayor's office which hopes to shore-up Broadway's entertainment and do something positive with the vacant-for-30 years Uptown Theater. Meanwhile, another theater, The Black Ensemble, has opened its sparkling new playhouse. While some votes may have been garnered based on The Loop's failure to present itself as a convincing neighborhood, it still overcame some negative publicity throughout the year.
·Curbed Cup 1st Round [Curbed Chicago]
Loading comments...